Grades: San Antonio Spurs at Portland Trail Blazers – Game #78
Devin Vassell did well against the Portland Trail Blazers (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs put up a noble fight but ended up losing on the road to the Portland Trail Blazers by a final count of 120-109. The Spurs dropped to a record of 32-46 on the season, while the Blazers improved to 35-44.
At the end of the first quarter, things looked bleak for the good guys. The Blazers took a 33-18 advantage into the second quarter. However, to San Antonio’s credit, they kept playing hard and making runs. The Spurs ended up getting within two points of the Blazers before halftime.
In the third period, the Spurs made a couple more runs. In the final stanza, San Antonio battled back and got within two points a handful of times. In the end, though, the Blazers were able to hit enough clutch shots to ward off all of the comeback attempts.
Stats: Spurs at Blazers
Spurs at Blazers – Final Grades
Devin Vassell
It was another rock solid game for Vassell. He had 21 points and finished 5-for-9 from two-point range and 3-for-7 from three-point territory. I liked his shot-selection and I liked the fact that he didn’t try to do too much. Vassell’s only offensive blemish was his turnover total of four. Defensively, I was once again pleased by his play. He led the team with three steals and he continues his strong defensive end to the season.
Grade: A-
Stephon Castle
Castle was 1-for-5 from three-point range and turned it over four times. Despite those lowlights, the rookie put together another strong game. He hit half of his 12 two-point attempts and shot nine free throws, hitting seven. He passed the ball really well and remained under control while handling the ball. Defensively, he had some iffy possessions but was mostly a positive on that end. Castle’s rebounding was another plus. Out of nowhere, the rookie is showing signs that he might be an elite rebounder for a guard.
Grade: B+
Chris Paul
The good: Paul led the team in assists with nine. In his 29 minutes of play, he hit 3-of-4 two-pointers and had a couple dazzling moves going toward the basket. The veteran point guard limited his mistakes and his effort on defense was commendable. The bad: Paul was 0-for-2 from three-point range. Though the effort was there on defense, the results were more negative than positive.
Grade: B-
Harrison Barnes
Barnes’ great shooting season continues. He shot the ball well from all distances on his way to 17 points on only nine field goal attempts. He played a clean brand of basketball on both ends. Rebounding-wise, Barnes was much better than usual. His defense, in all facets, was also pretty impressive.
Grade: A-
Bismack Biyombo
Biyombo was in the starting lineup and delivered an unlikely scoring punch. He tallied ten points in 20 minutes while exhibiting a surprising amount of touch. Biyombo’s defense was solid on the interior but he could have been better rebounding the ball. His help-defense was also in need of work.
Grade: B
Malaki Branham
Branham led the bench in minutes with 23 and it was entirely understandable why the coaching staff leaned on him. The 21-year-old gave the Spurs a scoring option on the court that the team really needed. Branham shot well on his way to 17 points. Both his standstill three-pointers and his isolation moves looked smooth. Branham struggled to defend at times but his offensive aptitude more than made up for that shortcoming on this night.
Grade: A-
Keldon Johnson
Yikes, Johnson looks to be returning to earth following a torrid streak after the All-Star break. Against the Blazers, he was 1-of-11 from the field, including three misses beyond the three-point arc. To make matters worse, he turned it over three times and played little to no defense. Johnson showed some life on the boards in an otherwise dismal evening.
Grade: D-
Julian Champagnie
Champagnie didn’t get many open looks during his 20 minutes on the court. However, he was able to knock down two long balls on a total of three three-point attempts. Defensively and in transition, Champagnie lacked his usual amount of intensity.
Grade: C+
Sandro Mamukelashvili
Mamukelashvili is another player from the bench who had an outing to forget. In 13 minutes, he went without a point or a rebound. He missed all three of his three-point tries and didn’t even attempt a two-pointer. Mamu had a couple of good passes and his energy level was sufficient … but his overall production was really poor.
Grade: D
Blake Wesley
After going 5-for-6 against the Nuggets, Wesley is now 0-for-10 since that game. He’s also not making plays for others or even bending the defense in any significant manner. Defensively, Wesley is playing hard and making plays here and there — but he’s too one-dimensional right now.
Grade: C-
Jordan McLaughlin
McLaughlin got ten minutes off the bench and he had a lot of encouraging possessions. He hit both of his shots from the field, including a slick and-one in the lane. His passing decisions were mostly positive and he ran the offensive sets well. Defensively, he illustrated a healthy amount of anticipation. All in all, McLaughlin continues to look like a guy who could be worthwhile to keep around as insurance at the point guard position.
Grade: B+
Mitch Johnson
I like that Johnson gave Branham extended minutes. In retrospect, playing McLaughlin more likely would have aided the cause. But, overall, Johnson has to be pleased that his troops competed once again.
Grade: B+